CARTERS LANE BAPTIST CHURCH – ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2025
Structure, Governance and Management
Members of the Church are accepted in accordance with the Constitution which requires them to be or to have been baptised on the profession of faith in Jesus Christ, or following other modes of baptism to renew their public profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
The members Meeting normally takes place 5 times per year and has responsibility for the overall policy of the church.
FOR 2025, WE WERE ABLE TO ORGANISE CHURCH MEETINGS IN THE CHURCH BUILDINGS.
In accordance with the Constitution, the members appoint up to 10 deacons/Trustees, who together with the Minister, Church Secretary and Treasurer (who are also appointed by the members), are responsible for the day to day running of the church’s work and witness, and the financial and legal aspects of the church/charity. By December 2025 we had 9 serving deacons plus the minister, treasurer and church secretary. All members are encouraged to take an appropriate part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the church’s objectives.
In 2025 the deacons continued to meet monthly and minutes are kept in the church safe.
In 2025 we were able to hold Annual General Meeting and the trustees were able to present reports and accounts.
Church members each receive minutes of the formal church meetings. These are sent out with agendas at least one week prior to the meeting.
Relevant matters may be submitted to the Church meeting by the Deacons/Trustees for guidance, or may be raised by members in Church meeting for further consideration by the Deacons/Trustees. Though the Constitution permits decisions to be made at Church meetings by appropriate majorities, the Church seeks to work by consensus wherever possible.
Objectives and Activities
The principle purpose of the church/charity is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination to include the advancement of education, community service and other general charitable purposes in such parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the Church shall determine.
Our particular aims and objectives are:-
-
To be a demonstrable place of Christian fellowship and worship furthering God’s kingdom on earth
-
To be a friendly, open and welcoming church, not just on Sunday services but throughout all activities
-
To encourage the growth of the membership of the Church attracting new young people and families to the congregation, whilst continuing to support and nurture the current congregation.
-
To mobilise the church membership to increase the number and range engaged in the running of the wider activities of the church.
The Church has a Minister, working at 70%, an active diaconate and around 65 active church members. We have number of other people who attend but are not formal members.
In the normal run of things we have around 120 young people involved weekly in Sunday Club, Friday Youth Club, the Brigade and the Toddler Group. There are a range of activities which normally take place during the week for adults and seniors including 65 Lunch Club for senior citizens which caters for around 40 people, 2 exercise groups catering for around 25 participants, and a Thursday Friends Group with an average of 35 people per session. In the Spring and Summer months we have a Tuesday Group (held fortnightly) which attracts about 25 adults per session. We are still offering weekly free Coffee Mornings as part of the Places of Welcome Scheme – these have proved to be very popular with over 40 people per week attending. In addition to weekly groups, the Church usually hold an annual Holiday Club for primary aged children, social evenings such as quizzes and concerts, garden parties and Autumn Fair. During 2025 these activities regularly took place at the church.
There are strong links with the worshipping community in the locality. We are very active members of Churches Together in Halesowen.
The Church operates systems to ensure that all people working with children and vulnerable adults are appropriately verified with regard to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The church has read the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, and is satisfied that the activities outlined above clearly demonstrate that the charity is providing a benefit to the public.
Activities and Performance
The Church does not measure the success of its programmes only in numbers, including financial numbers, but also in less tangible areas like fellowship and encouragement. The Deacons/Trustees recognise that these are difficult to measure, but believe that 2025 was a positive year in the life of the church, and that it will be able to pursue its mission purposes in 2026 with renewed enthusiasm.
At December 2025 the membership stood at 74.
For the first half of 2025 regular services and Bible Study sessions were held in church and on-line. These were well supported.
Financial Review
The Church continues to raise the funds which it needs to carry on its activities from within its own membership and congregation. No wider public appeal was made for funds during the year.
The most significant expense related to the continued appointment of the Revd Siôr Coleman as Minister of the Church, on a 70% basis, to lead and co-ordinate the church’s activities including the Sunday services, to provide pastoral care for the congregation and other people, and to equip and encourage the membership in their life, Christian witness and service.
In 2025, the church started its search to find a new minister, initially to work for a few months alongside the existing minister who retires on Easter Sunday 2026 but then to follow as his successor. The search followed proper process as set out by guidelines issued by The Baptist Union of Great Britain. The search was successful and the new minister will commence her ministry on 3[rd] January 2026.
The Church expressed its part in the life of the wider church by making grants to national and international Christian organisations and societies with Christian aims and objectives compatible with the church’s own charitable purpose and other charitable causes.
The Church is heavily dependent on its membership working as volunteers in all aspects of the church’s activities, many of which run with little or no impact on the church’s expenditure, but nevertheless contribute substantially to the achievement of the church’s objectives.
The financial results for the year, together with a summary of the accounting policies adopted are set out in accompanying financial statements.
The church is a participating employer within the Defined Benefit section of the Baptist Pension scheme and has been making ongoing deficit payments to cover the costs of past service of its employees within the scheme under a recovery plan. The church has no plan to leave the scheme and is prepared to continue to make payments to the scheme in line with the recovery plan when required.
Carters Lane Baptist Church Accounts for 1/1/2025-31/12/2025
The Deacons (acting as managing trustees of the Church) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts under S.42(3) Charities Act 1993. The income of the Church is below the threshold of £250,000 and these accounts have therefore been prepared on a ‘Receipts and Payments’ basis with review by an independent examiner.
The funds for the Church are distributed across 4 bank accounts. There are no restrictions placed on the funds held by the Church.
-
Business Banking Extra Current Account Lloyds Bank (termed hereafter as Treasurers Current Account/TA)
-
30 Day Account Lloyds Bank (termed hereafter as 30 day account / 30D)
-
NS&I Bonds
-
HEBA
The accounts for the Treasurers Current Account and 30 Day Account were prepared throughout the year by Mr Simon Southall, Mr Gellert Tamas and Heart of England Baptist Association (HEBA). They were independently examined by Mrs Sheila Williams. A trail was established from invoice, to payment, to bank statement and HEBA Finance Summaries and in reverse by Mrs Williams . The funds within the Lloyds Bank accounts, NS&I and HEBA were confirmed based on statements.
A summary of the accounts is given here:
| Opening Balance 1/1/2025 |
Closing Balance **31/12/2025. ** |
|
|---|---|---|
| Treasurers Current Account (TA) | £2,565.71 | £7,027.89 |
| 30 Day Account (30D) | £22,386.07 | £18,410.10 |
| NS&I Bonds | £120,000.00 | £120,000.00 |
| HEBA | £296,845.08 | £288,757.55 |
| **Total ** | £441,796.86 | **£434,195.54 ** |
| Total Receipts | £77,275.73 |
|---|---|
| Total Payments | £ 84,877.05 |
| Deficit | (£7,601.32 |
Note: Comparative figures for 2024 were:
| Total Receipts | £75,592.46 |
|---|---|
| Total Payments | £76,703.62 |
| Deficit | (£ 1,111.16) |
1
Financial Statement for the year ended 31 December 2025
General Receipts and Payments
Receipts and payments are summarised here. Additional detail is given in the accompanying notes later in the document.
| RECEIPTS | |
|---|---|
| Weeklycollections(plate) | £9,777.50 |
| Collections(standingorder) | £28,394.00 |
| Donations | £2,539.05 |
| Gift Aid | £9,177.78 |
| Investment Income/Interest | £3,809.43 |
| Hall Rental | £7,065.00 |
| Legacy | £0 |
| Weddings/funerals | £600.00 |
| Raised for other causes | £3,431.25 |
| Printingand stationery | £237.00 |
| Bank interest from HEBA | £12,244.72 |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | £77,275.73 |
| PAYMENTS | |
|---|---|
| Ministry | £52,933.93 |
| Administration | £7102.71 |
| UpkeepChurch Premises | £22,016.33 |
| Amounts passed onto other causes |
£2,824.08 |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | £84,877.05 |
Overall income and expenditure
| Receipts | Payments |
|---|---|
| £77,275.73 | £84,877.05 |
2
Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31/12/2024
| Assets | Opening1/1/2025 | Movement | Closing 31/12/2025 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold Land and Buildings | £0.00 | £0.00 | Note 3 | |
| Cash Assets | £441,796.86 | (£7601.32) | £434,195.54 | |
| Total Assets | £441,796.86 | (£7601.32) | £434,195.34 | |
| Liabilities | £0.00 | £0.00 | Note 4 | |
| Overall Position | £441,796.86 | (£7601.32) | £434,195.54 |
3
Notes to the Accounts
The accounts have been prepared on a ‘receipts and payments’ basis and in accordance with Section 133 Charities Act 2011.
1. Additional Details of Receipts
| RAISED FOR OTHER CAUSES | |
|---|---|
| BMS | £286.00 |
| BMS BirthdayScheme | |
| Home Mission | £477.40 |
| Project | £2667.85 |
| Total | £3431.25 |
2. Additional Details of Payments
| MINISTRY | UPKEEP | ADMIN | AMOUNTS PASSED ON |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SALARY | £12,952.28 | Cleaning | £4,779.00 | Bank | £415.55 | BMS Birthday Scheme |
|
| HMRC | £6,020.20 | Gas | £4374.79 | Bookkeeping & Payroll |
£740.00 | BMS | £8.68 |
| Expenses | £8389.75, | Electric | £2,722.17 | Subscriptions | £1,500.54. | Home Mission |
£63.15 |
| Manse | £17461.22 | Manse (rented) |
£0.00 | WIFI | £763.04 | Donations | £1077.25 |
| Pension | £8010.48 | Repairs | £7293.22 | Printing & Stationery |
£1,862.72 | Project | £1675.00 |
| Visiting Preachers |
£100.00 | Water | £282.54 | Sundry | £1,820.86 | ||
| Insurance | £2,564.61 | Equipment | £0.00 | ||||
| £52,933.93 | £22,016.33 | £7102.71 | £2,824.08 |
3. Freehold land and buildings
Freehold land and buildings are shown at no value as it is considered that they have no commercial value due to the restricted covenant placed by the vendor when the land was originally acquired. This is a conservative position since, if time and resources are invested in pursuing this, a more positive outcome may be forthcoming but cannot be assumed unless tested legally. If the Church were to be in financial difficulties this would be pursued more fully.
4. Liabilities - Pension Fund
On 30th June 2022 the Baptist Pension Scheme signed an agreement with the insurance company Just Group (“Just”) to secure DB Plan members’ pension benefits. Just are now providing financial backing for all pensions provided through the Scheme’s DB Plan and following this transaction, the Scheme no longer has a shortfall. An updated Recovery plan was then signed in August 2022 under which recovery contributions from each participating employer in the DB Plan reduced to £1 per month from August 2022.
4
41] Simon srtha11, Treasurer GellertTama8 ......... Ms. Sheila Wlliaffts, InderRndenl EX......
Template for Independent Examlners rewt (where Independent examiner does not wlsh to highlight any issues) Report of the Independent Examlnerfs) to the Tnees of On the a(tThints for the year ended 31 December 2024 The ijturch's Trust are responslbk ftjr the EParat)n of the xa>urts. The thurth's trustee5 consider that an aLMlIt is not requlred for this year utKler secticm 144 of the Charftles Art 2011 (the awrlties fvrt) aThl that an Indekvtht eomlnatkn 15 ne&d. It Is my responslbllty to: eyAnlne tr accounts under sth 145 of the alariti to folkrAr the prU5 lald iJ¥n In the gerval Dlrectlorts gr¥En awrity Commlssh)n (under secdon 145(5Xb) of the Charltles Art, aThJ examlnatkx) was carrW in accc#thKe with DirtkJns glven by the Charlty Commiss. An examlTh4tK)n a re4iY4 of the accounting re£ords kept by tr thurch nd a comparlson of accounts wlth those It aLw OlUdeS consk1eratlon of any unusual kn or dIs(kreS In tr xrounts, aThJ seektry explanatbns from the t$t con(Ernln9 any mattets. The clureS undertaken (k) nct provth all the evmkn that vw)uld t requlr&l In an audlt, a1 conseq• Th) oplnh)n ts glven as to whether the aCcnts Fxesent a aNI falrf vlthy and ts reFX)rt Is Ilmthl to those matte set out Sn the statrt bekrrt. glves me cause to belkve that in, any materlal respect: tountlThJ reoxds wwe rnt kept In acCxXthn with sectkn 130 of the Qorttles Act or the accounts do rh)t compty with the applkabk UIremertS concernlng the fomi and content of accounts set (Mjt in Charities (Accounts a1 Rep)rts) Regulatlons 2008 other than any wuirernent that the acawnts give a knje aTrJ falr vkw whlch ts not a matter c(Idered a5 P3rt of an indeperthit examination. Z have ccrfne actDSS no other matters In conneLtth wlth the eX1rt to which attention should be dra in to enable a prw UfKkntsThJlThJ of the artounts to be he. Signed lry CK lthlf of the Eyamlner e 3 (f4£